Fluffy and Fun
by TARDISTraveller
Summary: A series of fun, angst-free little stories featuring various Doctors and their companions. Prompts welcome!
1. A Lemon Drop Sky

A Lemon Drop Sky

Bill eyed the Doctor mysteriously from the other side of the TARDIS Console. As the lights dimmed and the ship groaned in its ascent, the Doctor noticed her odd look. Instantly, he knew that there was a question hiding behind her coy smile. A moment later, it was confirmed that he was right.

"Why did you say lemon drops?"

His eyebrow quirked, and he paused in his speedy typing for a second to process her words. Ultimately, he looked up at her, shaking his head. "I'm sorry?"

She paced toward him quickly, pointing at him like she always did when she was curious about something. "You said, when we had our first trip out, you said the sky was made of lemon drops."

He nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Why lemon drops?"

His lips curled into a smirk, and he put his hand on a red lever beside him. "Because I know a place where the sky really is made of lemon drops."

He pulled the lever down with finesse and jumped to the other side of the room, where he turned a few different dials. Bill was properly grinning now, grabbing onto the railing as the ship headed off. "Are we going there now?"

The TARDIS made one final lurch, and the Doctor hurried to the door. He held the handle and gazed at Bill like someone about to unveil the mysteries of the universe.

"Bill Potts, citizen of Earth, welcome to Gibralter 5."

He opened the door, and yellow tinged light streamed in to meet Bill's face. Instantly, she sniffed the unmistakable smell of lemons and oranges. She stepped outside, followed by the Doctor, and gazed around the new planet with unblinking eyes.

The Doctor locked the TARDIS doors and came beside her, admiring the yellow speckled sky above them. "It's an unnatural planet," he said. "Completely made by humans in the 31st century."

Bill turned to him with a skeptical smile. "Seriously? They created an entire planet?"

"Oh yeah, loads of them. You've got your leisure planets, prison planets, a few cat planets. Someone even made a planet for fictional characters, but that didn't work out."

"And why was that?"

The Doctor looked at her with a grimace. "They kept getting cross at each other."

Bill shook her head, turning away from him. "I think you make up half the things you say."

He merely smiled, and then nudged her shoulder harder than he meant to. "Do you hear that?"

Bill scoffed, holding her upper arm. "Ow; Doctor! Why's your arm so bony?"

"Timelord biology," he responded without missing a beat, staring up at the sky with wandering, distracted eyes. Then a wide smile came to his face. "There's a wind coming this way."

He turned to her sharply. "Bill, do everything I tell you to, okay?"

Her eyes widened. "What's-"

"There's not much time."

"Okay. What do I do?", she asked, focusing intently on her tutor.

"Stand up tall."

"Right." Bill followed his instruction without hesitation.

"Now tilt your head back."

"Okay."

"And stick your tongue out," he said, opening his mouth wide. "'ike 'is."

Bill did as he said, but then turned a quirked eyebrow at him. "'octor, wha-?"

And then she tasted it, the bright, tangy citrus on her tongue. It was pure, and more flavorful than any lemon or orange she'd had on Earth. Another gust of wind blew even more of the lemony goodness into her open mouth, and she giggled as it tickled her throat.

Her laugh magnified as she turned an eye to the Doctor, who was in the same ridiculous position as she. He met her gaze and they couldn't help but cough as their laughs made them choke slightly on the citrus. As Bill calmed herself down and prepared to go back to sticking her tongue out, she softly nudged the Doctor's arm.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

He smiled, and then went back to tasting the lemon in the air. Bill followed her tutor's example a moment later.


	2. Capturing Twilight

Capturing Twilight

The Doctor came bounding down the stairs with his arms full, hugging three objects against his chest. The ponds looked at each other questioningly, until Rory finally worked up the patience to ask the question they were both thinking. "Doctor, are those...mason jars?"

The Doctor practically dropped the three glasses onto the Console, and then turned his beaming face up to his companions. Amy took a deep breath. "Why are you collecting mason jars; Doctor, I thought we were going to that beach planet. Our anniversary, remember?"

The Doctor straightened, adjusting the strap of his suspenders. He turned a few dials on the Console as he said, "I've got something better than a beach planet."

Rory's eyes widened. "Is it another alien thing? Doctor, please-"

"We won't get into any danger. Totally boring, Pond-friendly trip, I promise." He looked up at Rory earnestly. "Cross my hearts." Rory rolled his eyes.

"That's what you said last year."

"I got us out eventually."

"After the cyclops almost ate us," Rory muttered.

The TARDIS groaned and Rory and Amy barely had time to grab onto the railing before the entire ship pitched to the side. The mason jars rolled dangerously close to the edge of the Console before the Doctor scooped them back into his arms, letting go of the controls completely. He used an outstretched leg to flip the final lever and land the lurching ship.

Amy was the first to let go of the railing, glancing up at the monitor. "Where are we?"

The Doctor's smile was back as he danced across the room and handed each of his friends a jar. "It's a planet called Noct. The nights here are more spectacular than anything you've ever seen.

"It's the countryside."

Rory was looking out the door, unimpressed, holding his mason jar by his side. The Doctor hurried over and then gave Rory a playful smirk. "It looks like the countryside. But wait until the sun goes down. Come along, Ponds!"

They exited the TARDIS and found a spot a little ways away; a clearing in the trees, just at the top of a hill overlooking a vast plain. Rory and Amy set down a blanket and rested beside their mason jars while the Doctor whirred his sonic around the area.

"If I have my dates right, it should be the height of summer."

The Doctor spun around loosely and turned down to his friends, who were holding onto the back of each other's heads, kissing deeply. The Doctor turned his Sonic off and awkwardly fumbled it back into his jacket. After a moment, he scratched his head and turned away. The sight from their little campsite really was beautiful. Definitely better than watching his 'step-parents' snogging, certainly.

The sun began to sink under the distant plain, shadow creeping over the vast green fields below them and wind rustling the branches of the trees above. Rory, Amy, and the Doctor lay on the blanket beside each other, all turned up at the sky. The colors swirled together like an impressionist painting. The Doctor and Amy were both reminded of their old friend Vincent. It felt like so long ago they'd met the troubled artist. Rory had been erased from time then, and River was still a mystery.

The Doctor looked down at his friends with soft eyes. How far they had come, and how many battles they'd had to fight to get to where they all sat now, gazing at an alien sunset. If any couple deserved an anniversary, it was the Ponds.

"Doctor, are those fireflies?"

The Doctor woke from his thoughts and found the night sky creeping in, the trees black against a twilight sky. He turned to Rory and it seemed as if he were looking through a blue filter. Then the Timelord jumped to his feet and grabbed his mason jar, twirling it in his hands.

"They're sort of fireflies. Well, firemites."

Amy got to her feet beside him. "Fire...mites?"

The Doctor's face broke out in a puppy-dog smile. "Tiny bugs made completely out of robot parts. They're not alive. They were all made in a lab, using pieces from cybermen and cars and horseshoes."

Amy touched the Doctor's arm and eyed the robots warily. "Hold on, they're made from cybermen? Aren't they dangerous?"

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrow. "These little guys? No. Cybermites, you should worry about. Firemites...they're just for entertainment. Like clowns."

Under his breath, Rory muttered, "I never liked clowns."

The Doctor held up his mason jar and said loudly, "Right, this is what we came for. Just watch me and do exactly what I do."

Amy and Rory hesitantly picked up their own mason jars as the Doctor opened his and looked around. It truly was a beautiful sight. A billion dazzling yellow lights glowed against the dark curtain of night behind them. Above, just as many stars shone through unpolluted air. Amy, and even Rory, couldn't help the smiles that came to their faces. Everything was standing still, and everything was perfect.

"Look at that!"

They turned to the Doctor, who was holding his mason jar out in front of him with a wide grin. Inside the glass, at least a dozen of the small 'creatures' flew around, their lights dancing in spectacular patterns as they went.

The Doctor gestured Amy and Rory to catch their own, and they did, with bright smiles and light laughter. Within five minutes, each of the time travellers' held a glowing mason jar in their hands, the robot bugs inside whirling around each other. Then they grabbed up their blanket and headed back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor deposited his mason jar on the TARDIS console immediately, and then spun around to his two companions. They were still watching theirs in fascination, glancing at each other's and giggling. The Doctor smiled and then approached them.

"So whaddya think?"

Rory looked at the Doctor, then Amy, and then the Doctor again. "This is the best anniversary we've ever had."

The Doctor snapped, and then dashed back to the Console. "I was hoping you'd say that. Because I just got a message, and we're needed at the Tower of London, 1564."

Rory shook his head, but his smile didn't waver. "Tower of London it is."

Amy nudged her husband's arm and they shared one last knowing smile before sharing one last anniversary kiss. The lights of the firemites in their hands seemed to burn just a fraction brighter.


	3. Morning Acoustics

Morning Acoustics

Balancing life with the Doctor and life in the real world could get exhausting. Clara could handle it, though, like she could handle every facet of her life. Normally, She controlled both sides of herself even better than her classes at Coal Hill. But today was an exception. Because when Timelords turn up at the crack of dawn asking to go on an adventure, tired takes on a whole new meaning.

He stood in front of her this early, early morning, one hand on the TARDIS door. His hair was a bit shorter than it had been last night when he'd dropped her off. In her half-sleeping mind, Clara thought he even looked kind of sweet standing there with a smirk on his face, ready to face the day. That is, until she noticed how dark her room is, and read the clock beside her bed.

"Doctor, it's not even five," she groaned, letting herself fall back into her pillow, eyes closed. She heard him approach, all buzzing with energy.

"I have this great breakfast spot picked out; it's just on the edge of your galaxy. Won't take five minutes to get there."

Clara mumbled in response, drawing the Doctor closer. "What did you say?"

Clara's pillow whacked him upside the head before he saw it coming. Then she threw him a glare, which probably would have been more frightening if she didn't yawn halfway through.

"I said you should've let me sleep for another five minutes."

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Then she looked back up at him and found him giving her soft puppy dog eyes and an infinitesimal smile. She shook her head and closed her eyes, leaning against her headboard. "What kind of breakfast place is it?"

The Doctor hurried back toward the TARDIS. "It was actually made by half-humans, so they have food similar to your Earth shops. Donuts, cakes, muffins…" he waited a moment before adding, "And, they have some of the best coffee in the universe this side of Optunium."

As much as Clara wanted to go back to sleep, coffee sounded very nice right about now. She peeked a suspicious eye open. "Best coffee in the universe?"

He shrugged. "If the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe is to be trusted."

Clara raised an eyebrow.

"Intergalactic travel brochure, cheesy name. I don't think any of them got the reference, but it made it funny for humans."

Clara quirked her other eyebrow.

"It made it funny for some humans. Anyway, would you like to go or not?"

Clara sighed, then threw off the covers and went to her dresser. "Give me a tic and I'll be ready to go. I am not getting coffee in my nightie."

The Doctor snapped his fingers. "Got it boss. I'll just er," he gestured to the TARDIS. "I'll be in here."

"That's probably a good idea."

.

They entered the alien coffee shop and Clara's jaw dropped. Half of the back wall was covered in stacks of glass containers, all holding different flavored and colored coffee beans and tea leaves. The Doctor pointed around the room at various alien species, but Clara hardly heard him, caught up as she was in the mere ambiance of it all.

Sturdy wooden tables stood around the room, perfectly spaced apart and welcoming her with little plants and rustic chairs. To the right was a stage, where a young half-human, half-fish was playing a jazzy tune on the piano. Clara's head bopped along to the music as she and the Doctor made their way slowly to the front counter.

As she turned to the wide selection of pastries and coffees, the Doctor kept an envious eye on the stage, where two young women were beginning a duet. "Hey Clara, I'll be right back."

Clara watched him disappear back through the queue that had formed, then turned back to the counter and ordered two of the red polka dot coffees and a blue cake. As payment, she used a universal credit card the Doctor had luckily given her the other day.

A few minutes later, Clara picked up the coffees at the other end of the table, and then began to worry about finding the Doctor. She hadn't seen or heard him since he'd mysteriously walked off, and so she was standing in the now-crowded shop all alone, with her hands full and her foot tapping against the floor. She was just about to find a seat by herself when she heard the music coming from the stage shift. A new player was starting their own song, and if she didn't know better, she'd have said it was the same tune the Doctor had been playing all week.

Her eyes landed on the stage, and she nearly dropped one of the coffees in her amusement. There was the Doctor, standing at the edge of the wooden platform, playing an acoustic guitar and staring right at her. Clara slowly made her way towards him, then placed his coffee carefully on the stage in front of his feet. He thanked her in between chords.

She leaned on the stage, looking up at her goofy, impossible Timelord. He really was very talented, and had made the change from electric to acoustic almost seamlessly. In her opinion, this version of his music sounded even better.

Clara took a sip of her coffee and then a bite of her cake, and knew that she had been right in coming here. It was bliss. The coffee shop was quieting down again, the morning rush over. The air smelled of coffee and baked goods. Mornings had never Clara's favorite, but if they could all be like this; instead of chasing students or being chased by zygons...well, she could get used to mornings.


End file.
